As the world took a chance on me as an author, I met yet another super-woman; Melissa Luznicky Garrett is the author of several adult and young adult novels. She is also a wife & proud mum to three children! How does she do it all? Melissa initiated the very innovative Readers' Pick Awards (The Destiny of Shaitan won the Summer 2012 Readers' Pick Award, which is how I met her.) Here I pose her a few questions in an attempt to find the secret to her never-say-die spirit!
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| Melissa & Edward! Her cats really didn't like Edward! |
a. Why do you write in the YA genre?Because teens, for the most part, are still at that age when they possess a child-like curiosity without the cynicism that comes with being an adult. I love the emotional extremes of teenagers, and how they feel and act with instinct and passion. And yet they are smart, savvy, and caring.
b. What is the one thing you'd like to do or have already done, before you die? I'd like to finally get my undergraduate and graduate degrees, and then possibly teach creative writing to teens. Hopefully that will happen in the near future (and LONG before I die!).
c. Do you believe in life on other planets?I certainly don't discount it. There's got to be something else out there besides us, whether it's human-like beings or those scary and disgusting creatures from the Alien movies.
d. One key 'emotional' and one key 'practical' advice you'd like to share with other Indies? Emotional - Don't compare yourself to other writers. Put your blinders on to how well everyone else is doing and instead concentrate on your own work. Readers will discover you, and some will even become loyal fans.
Practical - Spend your money on a professional cover designer vs. advertising fees. A good cover will likely sell more books than a $150 ad in Publishers Weekly (trust me).
e. Why do you think Shades of Grey has been so successful? I've yet to read Shades of Grey myself, but I have read a lot of reviews. Readers tend to be of the "I Loved It" or "I Hated It" camp. I suspect the reason it's done so well is A) sex sells, and B) reader curiosity. Readers want to read those sex scenes and judge for themselves how racy they are, and they also want to read to see if the story is really as good/bad as their friends say.
Melissa Luznicky Garrett is an author of adult and young adult novels. She lives in upstate New York with her husband, three children, and numerous animals. Melissa is currently hard at work on her next project, a vampire novel (Blood Type) coming out this fall
You can find her here:
Facebook: https://www.
PS: Melissa's addicted to Windows Movie Maker & loves stringing together short movies of special family events and outings. Check out one of her favorites, shot during the family's last annual trek to the tree farm to cut down their Christmas tree: http://www.youtube.com/
